9. H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) Link to this
to the Minister of Housing
What initiatives has the Government taken to improve access to quality, affordable housing for low-income New Zealanders?
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Housing) Link to this
Quality, affordable housing is a fundamental commitment of Labour Governments. This morning in Miramar the Prime Minister, the local MP Annette King, and I visited the first State house built by the first Labour Government 70 years ago. Since 1999 this Labour-led Government has reintroduced income-related rents, helping over 106,000 households with affordable rents so far; acquired 7,372 new State houses, helping to make up for the more than 13,000 houses National sold in the 1990s; retrofitted 14,000 State houses; tackled 4,500 overcrowded homes; and halved the rate of turnover in State house tenancies, building stronger and more stable communities. That is, no doubt, progress that the first Labour Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage, would have been very proud of.
H V Ross Robertson Link to this
What reports, if any, has the Minister seen about alternative approaches to social housing policy?
I have seen a report advocating a back-to-the-1990s policy of selling State houses, allegedly to their current tenants. This was supposedly the policy of the last National Government, but in fact the reality was that 10,000 of the 13,000 houses were sold to speculators. John Key needs to explain how National’s supposedly new policy is any different, as it is clear from income data held by Housing New Zealand Corporation that for the majority of State house tenants, buying the State house they live in is completely out of reach—that is why they are State house tenants.
Sue BradfordOn this anniversary of the building of the first State house in New Zealand, is the Minister intending to pick up the recommendations for action—such as establishing a homeownership programme to provide at least 2,000 first home buyers each year with a chance to buy their own home—put forward just the other week by the Salvation Army in its report Rebuilding the Kiwi Dream; if not, why not?
Last night, together with the Prime Minister and other Ministers, I met church leaders, including leaders of the Salvation Army, and we discussed this very issue. We explored a variety of options for how we can improve housing availability on the supply side. We will work with church leaders and other interested groups to meet the very real issue that we have in this country, which others—Australia, Canada, and the US—are also facing.
Why does the Government continue to provide such a relatively low amount of money from the Housing Innovation Fund towards community-sector affordable housing initiatives, especially when so much hope has been given to this sector over the last 5 or 6 years in terms of policy promises and so little has actually been delivered on the ground?
The fund the member refers to—the Housing Innovation Fund—is one that the Government has committed over $99 million to. That is quite a considerable sum. We have done some fantastic partnership deals. In addition to that $99 million - plus, we have also had one-off grants, like the $220 million that has gone to Wellington City; plus, of course, buying out Auckland City’s social housing. This Government has shown a real commitment to providing social housing for New Zealanders.
Phil HeatleyWith that answer in mind, could the Minister please explain why, after 8 years of his Government, the relative cost of buying a house, by every single measure, in every single region, is the highest in New Zealand’s history?
What I can explain to the member is that we have had record falls in unemployment, and we have had strong growth for 8 years. We have a very prosperous country. As that member is the representative of the people of Whangarei, I would like him to explain to those on the waiting list in Whangarei why, when National was in power, 229 State houses were sold in Whangarei, 180 of them to speculators.
Gerry BrownleeI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. That was a very long answer to the question that was asked, but it was hardly addressing the question. If members think about the way the Minister started and then continued, they will realise that the question that was asked was completely ignored.
Madam SPEAKERThe part of the Minister’s answer I heard was addressing the question; the rest I could not hear. If members wish to hear the answers to questions I would ask them to desist from their barracking.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. In my question I asked the Minister to explain why housing affordability is the lowest ever in this country. His answer was to ask me to explain why. How can the Minister ask me to explain when I am the questioner? I would like an answer to my question about affordability.
Would the member please leave the Chamber. I am in the middle of giving my ruling. As I indicated before, in the first part of the answer the Minister did address the question. He then went on to add some irrelevancies, but in the first part he did address the question.
Hon Dr Nick Smith Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The question was about housing affordability, but we had an answer from the Minister about unemployment figures. He then posed a question back to the member about Whangarei. How can that possibly be within the Standing Orders that require a Minister to address the question?